Month: August 2023

News Roundup

Bad News

And from the Department of Health:


...considering that my favorite pub snack is beer, that’s excellent news.  And speaking of Queer I mean Beer News:


...not Bud Light, because nobody would want it for free, let alone buy it.

In our Catalog of Stupid People:


...cause of death:  terminal stupidity.  And on the same topic:


...should be only seven, of course, but that’s Bidenflation for you.

In Human Relations:


...as she discovers that there are two kinds of “snapper”.  Speaking of snappers:


...sounds pretty cool to me.

And on the subject of “cool”, there’s this from the Global Cooling Climate Warming Change© Apostles:


...and here we go again:


…I’m thinking 20ga #8 birdshot into the legs if caught in the act, but I can be persuaded otherwise.


...never mind the sharks;  just look who’s issuing the warning — Dr. Rosie Jones:

Speaking of unwelcome visitors to Britishland:

From the Dept. of Immigration:


...my kinda guy.

Time for some link-free INSIGNIFICA:

...as long as you weren’t turned on, darlin’.

And speaking of sex toys, here’s some Media Celebrity News:


...no, I don’t know who she is either, but let’s have a look:

And in hot-weather gear:

Let’s all head off to the beach, because news time is over.

Where Are They Now?

Pussification Parade, Toys

Via Reader Old Texan in his Friday email, I see this lovely little thing:

…which leads me to ask:  whatever happened to cap guns? 

I grew up with the things — I mean, that one on the pic could have been the one I had as a kid, except my gun’s ur-nickel plating was long gone through much pocketing and abuse.  And my poor mother had to deal with my constant nagging each Saturday morning (when I got my paltry allowance) to take me to the hardware store or drugstore to get five rolls of those excellent caps (which would last me till, oh, Sunday afternoon;  I haven’t changed much).

I’d assumed that they’d been declared illegal because eeeevil guns, and caps ditto because EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL!!!!  but I see that plastic ones (eeewww!!!), die-cast revolvers and even cap roll guns are sold through Amazon.  Sadly, the first two of these use “ring caps” which are terrible because boys can’t create mini-explosive devices out of them, as we did with the cap rolls when I were a Lad Of Extreme Mischief.  (I should point out that my Dad showed me how to do this, which says it all, really.)

But can you buy ring caps or paper roll caps through Amazon?  Silly rabbit, of course you can’t, no doubt because you have to fill out ATF Form #4376-5-3 or some such bullshit before such a sale can be “allowed”.

I think you can still buy the cap rolls at Tractor Supply stores and ring caps at Big Lots! (note: they are out of stock in both outlets).  But wait:  what have we here?  Aaahhh, Tin Toy Arcade to the rescue:

 

I have to say, though, that relatively speaking, those guns are Colt Python-expensive, for toys.  Especially when you can get the Real Thing for a little more than three times the price:

 
…and the plainer .22 LR-only version for little more than double:

…as used by Daughter as her first gun.

But let’s not go there.

I suspect, by the way, that societal pressure is forcing these lovely cap guns to be disappearing fast because We Cannot Allow Children To Play With Violent Toys.

What a load of old bollocks.

RFI: Kindle

Literature

Okay, I might have to break down and get me one of them Kindle thangs, because the storage / cost matrix looks like I’m going to be driven out of the actual-book-buying thing.

But seeing as I was last exposed to Kindle at about version 1.0, I need help from y’all to steer me towards the right one in terms of cost / facility / whatever.

The larger, the better, and the one most like a real book, the better still.  Kindle? Paperwhite?  Oasis?  What are the differences / benefits of each?

Fuck me, I just saw the prices.  I’m going to have to have a donations drive to afford one… unless I just get the cheapest for a hundred bucks — but with my luck, it’s going to be the same as my long-discarded v1.0.

HELP.

Update:  okay, which tablet?

Is this one a good idea?

Ammo Musings

The Gun Thing

Got this little flyer [sic]  in the mail from AmmoMan over the past weekend, and it gave impetus to all sorts of random musings about The Gun Thing and the feeding thereof:

Well, no prizes for guessing what calibers are America’s current favorites, huh?  Too bad that I’m not in the market for any of them.  Next line:

Okay, that’s a little better, in that I need me some .38 Spec practice ammo (at 30c/pull), and CCI is one of my favorite ammo manufacturers.  I still have a couple hundred rounds of .308 Win — too bad I don’t own a rifle thus chambered, though — and I only shoot 185gr .45 ACP nowadays, and not the heavier 230gr.  The Remington El Cheapo Plinkers are fine, at about 6c per pull, but I have enough .22 ammo on hand not to be tempted into buying it.  (Their quality control may have improved since, but I used to get a ton of dead strikes with the Thunderbolts, so I’ve switched pretty much exclusively to Federal Target and CCI Mini-Mags, because life is too short to hear “click” instead of “BANG”.)  Next up:

Hmmm I see that like .38 Spec, .22 Mag is running at 30c/pull (!) which makes it five times more expensive than its smaller .22 LR cousin.  But that Hornady stuff is mustard… I’m tempted.  Not by the Blackout, though, which I know is the favorite of all the short-range sniper cognoscenti  at the moment.  But whoa:  $1.40/round for .30-30?  Even for the good Hornady stuff, it’s still sheesh.  (I’d rather go with the lighter 150gr Federal Power-Shok — by no means a slouch of a cartridge — at 90c/round.)  And if we’re talking like-for-like bullet weight, Fiocchi can be had for about the same.  Finally, I’m not in the market for 12ga ammo, although if I ever get the funds to contemplate that CZ Coach gun…  I also note that there is much cheaper 12ga 00 buck available at 45c/round (compared to the Super-X above at 70c), but I have no idea what the quality thereof is like, not being as familiar with shotgun brands as I should.

I know that you could probably do better, on an individual basis, for any or all of the above at SOTI (Somewhere On Teh Intarwebz), but my experience with AmmoMan has always been good — ordering, delivery cost/time etc. — so give them a try if you haven’t already.

And as always, the reminder:  I get no kickbacks or discounts from ANY company I mention on this website.  (more’s the pity)

Finally, seen on some ammo/gun website:

Wait:  an ersatz mil-spec AR/XM7 SIG-scoped clone (yeah, I know SIG Swiss magic yadda yadda) in 7.62mm NATO… worth $5,700?  Did I step into some kind of Twilight Zone time capsule which propelled me into 2100 AD (where $6 grand might be acceptable for such a rifle)?

And as for the Suburban Warrior holding the 24k gold-plated weapon in the approved limp-wristed SWAT “ready” stance, complete with $300 wraparound Oakley sunglasses and backwards-facing 5.11 cap over a suitably-grim “operator” expression…

I see these wannabes at the TDSA range all the time, and most of them are just average shots.  When their guns are running properly.

Which reminds me… it’s almost time to make the trek to TDSA again:  that is, when the Texas summer weather goes from BROIL to SIMMER.

Isn’t THAT Special?

Media Assholes, Perverts

In case you were wondering, yes:  there is a noise in the background, and it is the sound of hoofbeats:

Why?  Silly rabbits, this is the reason:

Made In Chelsea to become first UK show in TV history to broadcast three-way kiss between male throuple as Channel 4 hire ‘Queer Expert’ to oversee storyline

Every single phrase in that headline is appalling. And try as I may, I can’t even make a joke about it.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and puke my guts out.  And then go to the range.

One More Time

Economics, Lies and Untruths, Two-Minute Hate

Saw this recently and it got my blood boiling:

I just looked at my electricity bill, and it went up 25% compared to last year this time (i.e. summer compared to summer).  Other commodities show similar increases, the lowest being 12%.  So:

Where the FUCK does that 3.2% number come from?

I want to see exactly which categories showed less than 3.2% inflation, to bring the average down.  And don’t insult me with bullshit like “Office Rents” (which go down, on the aggregate, when people move out and stop paying the rent): I want to see like for like.

Wait, I can see my future… and it involves shooting double the amount of ammo at this afternoon’s range session.